The documentation of eye conditions has great significance in terms of follow-up during a phase of treatment, and it becomes still more important with the increasing use of laser therapy. The areas to be documented include general views of the eye, views in optical section and views of the vitreous body to the retina.
With standard slit lamps, for instance like those described in brochure No. 30-113-d of Carl Zeiss, general views can be taken using a flash unit and a camera apparatus, while for views in optical section and views of the retina, special equipment, preferably photo slit lamps, must be used. With photo slit lamps, a so-called linked illuminating beam path is generally used, where for instance via a double collector system a flash lamp disposed in the intermediate image plane of the double collector system is superimposed on the normal path of the illuminating beam. This arrangement is very expensive in terms of optics, mechanics and energy (high voltage), and the result is that a single-purpose apparatus is required for optical section photography.
This is contrary to the desire of numerous users to be able to perform documentation of the examined area of the eye using a standard slit lamp or a laser slit lamp, without making a major conversion, and without using overly large structural parts that may hinder the course of the examination.